


You're Like... The Future

by BlessedKlance



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam (Voltron) Lives, Allura & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Allura (Voltron) Lives, Altean King Lance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Engagement, Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Galra Emperor Keith, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Allura/Romelle - Freeform, Pining Keith (Voltron), Post-Canon, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 16:06:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15799965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlessedKlance/pseuds/BlessedKlance
Summary: It's been ten years since the team disbanded and Lance got married. Maybe it's time for a team reunion?





	You're Like... The Future

**Author's Note:**

> Yes A/L are married. No it won't stay like that and it won't be messy. They're friends above all else and want happiness for each other.
> 
> Also Adam lives because fuck canon.
> 
> Edit: This fic was written before s8. I.. I expected Allurance which is why i wrote this   
> But honestly I never expected them to do /that/ to Allura. Lemme say it again but louder FUCK CANON.

It's been ten years since the paladins had their biggest battle and came out on top.

 

It's been ten years since the team disbanded and went their own seperate ways. 

 

It's been ten years since Allura started reciprocating Lance's feelings.

 

They got married soon after that and Lance was ecstatic.

 

It's been ten years, but it felt like a lifetime.

 

They found a new planet, similar to Altea, and Lance ruled alongside her as they rebuilt the Altean society together.

 

Lance should've been content. He had the woman of his dreams as his beautiful wife and he still got to visit earth whenever he felt like it. Yet he felt like something was missing.

 

There was a void in him that he wasn't quite sure how to fill.

 

He'd tried everything. Engulfing himself in old hobbies, attempting new ones, but nothing seemed to help.

 

It was until one day, when Keith appeared at the castle out of nowhere.

 

Lance had been surprised at first.

 

After disbanding Voltron, Acxa had asked him to take over the Galra empire and, after enough prodding from Krolia and Kolivan, he ended up taking the offer.

 

Running the empire was a busy job, so Keith never had time for anything else, even with Acxa's help.

 

By all means he shouldn't currently be standing in the middle of the great hall.

 

"It's been a while." the man spoke up as he finally noticed Lance's presence in the room.

 

Lance was, to say the least, dumbfounded.

 

"Really?" he deadpaned as he approached the raven haired man, "You haven't talked to me in _ten years_ and then you show up out of nowhere and all you've got to say is ' _it's been a while'_?"

 

Keith finally turned around with the smallest smile gracing his lips and that's when ten years of pent up emotions made their presence known.

 

"I've missed you." Lance whispered quietly as he wrapped his arms tightly around the man.

 

"I've missed you too, Lance." Keith whispered back and for a moment they stood there in comfortable silence embraced.

 

Lance didn't know how much he'd missed this.

 

He spent years trying to convince himself that it wasn't a big deal and that the paladins had their own lives. After all he had Allura with him and Coran, and Romelle too so he made himself believe that it was alright. 

 

Having Keith show up at his doorstep made Lance realize that it was, _on the contrary_ , not alright,  _at all,_ and that he really missed his old friends.

 

After a few minutes of being embraced, Lance finally started pulling away. Keith slowly followed up with a weird look in his eyes.

 

If Lance didn't know any better he'd say that Keith missed him more than he missed Keith.

 

" _So..._ " the brunette decided to speak up to break the awkward silence, "Where have you been all this time?"

 

Keith rolled his eyes.

 

 _Typical_ , Lance thought, _Good to know that things haven't changed after a decade._

 

"You _know_ where I've been, Lance." he responded with crossed arms, "We have an alliance for a reason."

 

"I see becoming the Galra emperor hasn't changed you a bit!" Lance let out a chuckle with amusement, though his eyes gave his real feelings away.

 

"I could say the same for you, _King of  Newfound Altea_. You're still the same old Lance," Keith's eyes seemed to glint for a moment as he looked away but then he turned them back and met Lance's gaze, "which is why I know that your question wasn't what you _actually_ wanted to ask me."

 

Lance let out a sigh and hunched his shoulders. There was no point keeping the act up any longer.

 

"Yeah. That's true." he straightened back up and squinted at Keith, "What I want to know is why, after a _decade_ of _ignoring everyone_ , you suddenly show up and act like it never happened. We didn't exactly part on the _best_ terms, you know."

 

"I know that, Lance. And I'm sorry." he finally let his tiredness show and apologized.

 

"The reason I'm here is because I've been trying to get in contact with the team." Keith awkwardly scratched his neck and kept talking, "I figured _maybe_ we could go out and celebrate the ten year anniversary or something. Catch up with each other and stuff like that."

Keith initiating a get together? Lance was taken aback. That's new.

 

"Aren't you too busy running an _empire_ to have a reunion?" Lance raised a brow, "Did you already get in contact with the others?"

 

"I asked Kolivan and Acxa to step in for a day." Keith answered, "Shiro won't be there because he's currently on a mission for the Garrison with Adam, but Hunk and Pidge will be there."

 

"And what's the plan?" Lance asked as his excitement started to rise.

 

He hadn't seen the others in years and with Keith's presence, he was starting to wonder how _everyone else_ spent the past decade.

 

"Just go to some nearby planet and go to a bar or something like that." Keith shrugged, "Haven't really thought about details yet, but I figure we'll come up with something when we're there."

 

Lance contemplated it for a moment.

Maybe that void would finally fill up after he reconciled with his old friends. 

 

"Alright anniversary outing it is then!" Lance exclaimed as he threw his arm around Keith's shoulders and started dragging him away, "Let's go get Allura and Coran and we can go."

 

A reunion seemed like what he needed.

 

\---

 

Allura and Coran had been just as shocked with Keith's visit as Lance was, but it didn't take them long to bust out smiles and squeeze Keith with their hugs.

 

\---

 

The planet was in the middle point between Newfound Altea and Earth. It took them only an hour to get there with their lions.

 

It was a lively planet to say the least. It resembled Vegas with all the bars, casinos and hotels. It also had several large amusement parks.

 

Finding a place to land the lions had been hard but eventually they came upon a large enough clearing where the Green and Yellow lions already stood in all their glory.

 

After landing Lance nearly tripped over himself as he ran outside to meet the yellow and green paladins, who, as expected, were standing right outside.

 

"Hunk!" Lance threw himself at the larger man, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

 

"Lance, buddy!" Hunk wrapped him up in a tight hug, "How you been?"

 

"I've been good! What about you both?" he replied as he let go and turned to embrace Pidge, "Pidgeon? Are my eyes deceiving me or have you grown an inch?"

 

He earned a slight jab in his ribs as Pidge laughed: "Shut up! Not all of us can be the size of a tree."

 

"Allura! Coran!" Hunk shouted and started waving his hands to get the attention from both Alteans who had just gotten out of the Blue lion.

 

"Hunk! Pidge!" they both exclaimed in unison and ran up to them, embracing them in a hug.

 

"I've missed you _so much_." Allura stated as she let go of them, "How have you been?"

 

"Don't snag my questions 'Lu! I asked them first!" Lance walked over and wrapped an arm around her waist, giving her a peck on the cheek.

 

When he turned his gaze back on them he was met with a pair of wide eyes and dropped jaws.

 

"We've uh, we've been alright." Hunk mustered up a reply, "Hey, _Lance_ , _buddy_ , you never told us that you and Allura were _a thing_? When did _that_ happen?"

 

"Oh, those two?" Coran piped in before Lance could, "They've been married for nearly ten decaphoebs now!"

 

" _Married_?!" Pidge and Hunk squeaked out in unison, making Lance slam his ears shut from the noise.

 

"Would you guys _quiet down_?!" Lance whisper-shouted, "I'm gonna go _deaf_. And to answer your question we got married a few months after the team disbanded. We just never told you guys, because it was _impossible_ to get in contact with you."

 

"Yes," Allura confirmed with a nod, "Lance and I have been busy ruling Newfound Altea together for ten decaphoebs now, with Coran as our advisor."

 

"Well, congrats buddy you finally got what you wanted, it seems!" Hunk congratulated as he shook their hands.

 

Lance hummed in response. He supposed he did.

 

"Guys, let's get going," Keith finally popped out of the Black lion, "I found a bar nearby!"

 

\---

 

After ten minutes of walking and talking they finally arrived at a large bar. According to Keith it had been the smallest one in the area.

They walked in, made their way to the biggest table and sat down. Lance, Allura and Coran sat on one side while Keith, Pidge and Hunk sat across them.

 

"Hey, guys, they have _the paladin_ special!" Lance exclaimed as he opened up the drink menu and scanned it's contents.

 

"Oh man, we totally _got_ to try those out then!" Hunk said with excitement, "We _are_ here for an _anniversary_ after all!"

 

The group nodded in agreement and after they picked out their respective drinks, Lance offered to go and order them.

 

"I'm coming with you." Keith said as he got up from his seat, "You can't carry six drinks on your own."

 

Lance nodded in response and they made their way towards the counter.

 

"The Paladin special, please!" Lance told the bartender who nodded and got to work on the drinks.

 

"How you feeling so far? Everything alright?" Keith asked as they waited for their order, "I know you haven't seen them in ten years. Must be rough."

 

Lance nodded with a quiet hum: "It's alright. Of course there's a bit of awkwardness but I thought it'd be worse. It's as if these past ten years never happened. The dynamics are still the same."

 

"You missed them." Keith stated quietly.

 

"I did." Lance nodded, "Hunk is my best friend and we haven't talked in _ten years_. Pidge may have teased me a lot but she was a friend too. I'd do anything for those two."

 

"They would too. You should've seen their faces when I proposed the reunion." Keith smiled, "They missed you a lot. The only reason you didn't get to talk sooner is just because they didn't know how to get in contact with you until now."

 

"Thank you, Keith. For doing this." Lance focused his eyes on the table where their friends excitedly talked about something he couldn't hear, "I know I was angry at first but I'm glad you organized the reunion and brought the team back together."

 

"No need to thank me." Keith shook his head, "You probably would've had this reunion sooner or later anyways. They would've figured out how to contact you at _some_ point."

 

"Yeah, that's true..." Lance nodded and put his hand on Keith's shoulder, "But it doesn't change the fact that you reached out first. So thank you from all of us."

 

Keith met Lance's gaze and they exchanged smiles.

 

"Here's your order!" the bartender spoke up and both of them turned their attention towards the drinks. They each had one color from the lions and there was also an orange one for Coran.

 

"We should've asked a third person to come along there's no way we can carry three drinks without spilling them." Lance laughed and addressed the bartender "Hey, you mind carrying two of these for us, please? I'll leave a bigger tip."

 

"Of course." the guy replied and took the orange and yellow drinks, "Lead the way."

 

Keith took the black and the red ones while Lance carried the blue and the green ones and they made their way back to the table.

 

The bartender put down the drinks in front of Coran and Hunk and walked back to his workstation. As they sat down, Lance passed the green drink to Pidge and the blue drink to Allura and Keith passed the red one over to Lance with a soft smile.

 

"Guys, _wait_ , before we drink let me do something." Keith said and pulled out a tablet from inside his jacket. He put it down at the end of the table and opened up a call.

 

After two beeps Shiro appeared on the screen.

 

"Surprise, guys!" he exclaimed with a large grin, "Happy ten year anniversary!"

 

" _Shiro_!" the team collectively gasped.

 

Shiro laughed: "I know Keith told you all that I couldn't make it, but I'll be damned if I miss something like this."

 

"Man this is great, let me bust out the cake!" Hunk shouted and excitedly started rummaging through his pockets.

 

"What do you mean cake?" Pidge raised a brow, "I didn't see you carrying a cake when we departed from earth."

 

"Just you wait." Hunk whipped out a tiny rainbow colored cube and put it in the middle of the table.

 

The team exchanged confused looks.

 

Hunk pulled out a tiny pipette and squeezed out a drop of water onto the cube, transforming it into a huge voltron themed cake. It had all the lions and the old castle ship on it as decorations.

 

"So, what do you think?"

"Hunk, you _made_ this?! _How_?!" Lance was shook, " _It's_ _amazing_!

 

"Oh, well..." Hunk scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, "You know how I always wanted to work with both engineering and cooking?"

 

Lance nodded.

 

"I figured why not _combine_ the both things and create these huge amazing cakes like in cake boss, but better!" he talked eagerly, "This one is ant sized in comparison to my other works but I'm happy with it. The Lions and the castle are edible too!"

 

"Okay that's cool but how did you compress all of that into this tiny cube?" Lance kept prodding, earning a chuckle in response.

 

"Have you seen Megamind?" Hunk asked, "You _definitely_ should if you haven't by the way."

 

"Yeah, yeah." Lance waved it off but then recognition struck him, "Wait don't tell me that you-"

 

" _Created a replica of the De-Gun_? Yes I did!" he earned a jab from Pidge, "With Pidge's help of course. It makes things into colored cubes and with a drop of water they turn back."

 

"So _that's_ why you took it before we left!" Pidge realized, "You told me you wanted to upgrade it!"

 

"Sorry, but I had to make the cake a _surprise_." Hunk explained with a soft smile.

 

"It looks amazing Hunk!" Shiro complimented him, "It's a shame I won't be able to taste it since I'm not there, but I bet it tastes amazing too."

 

Hunk smiled.

 

"Yeah." Keith let out a snort, "Enjoy your _disgusting_ packet food with Adam. Where is that nerd by the way?"

 

"I'm right here and I'll have you know I can hear _everything_ you say, _Kogane_." Shiro turned the camera to face Adam, sitting on a bunk, "You're _lucky_ you don't live with us anymore or I'd ground you."

 

"Ah, the _perks_ of being the Galra emperor." Keith huffed a laugh, "How's your new arm and leg prosthetics feeling in space?"

 

"They're alright. Shiro's been helping me getting used to them." he responded with a smile, "It _does_ get annoying at times but I'm glad that I can finally use both arms and legs again."

 

"I still can't believe you survived that _blast_. What were they thinking sending you out like that." Shiro muttered under his breath, "I'd kick Sanda's ass if she was still alive."

 

" _Ditto._ " Adam agreed and pretended to raise up a non-existent wine glass, "Anyways, here's to you kids, for saving the universe _and_ my marriage."

 

He earned a few chuckles in response and everyone clinked their glasses together.

 

" _To saving and bringing peace to the universe!_ "

 

They each took a sip from their drinks and delved into Hunk's cake, while keeping up conversations with each other.

\---

"So, Hunk what have you been up to for these past ten years?" Lance asked and stuffed his face with cake.

 

"Not much really, inventing stuff with Pidge when she gets free time from the Garrison and I opened a restaurant." he replied, "The cakes are more of a _commission_ kind of thing since they take a while to be made." 

 

Lance hummed as he took another bite: "And what about _Shay_? Did that go anywhere?"

 

" _Oh_ , I got together with her and we moved in together." Hunk replied as he took a sip, "We got married two years ago it's a shame you weren't there. But I guess we're _equal_ now since I didn't get to attend _your_ wedding either. How's the whole king business going by the way?"

 

"It's a lot. I have no idea how Allura does it to be honest. I have an entirely newfound respect for her." Lance glanced at her and saw a hint of a smile, "Leaves me exhausted every time _I_ do it."

 

"I actually feel the same way." Allura spoke up, "If not for your, Coran and Romelle's support I would've snapped a long time ago. It's hard managing an entire planet."

 

"Planet? Try an entire _empire_." Keith let out a groan, making Allura laugh, "I don't know _why_ I let Acxa, Krolia and Kolivan talk me into this."

 

"It's easy to forget in times like these that you're actually an emperor." Lance chuckled, "I guess that's why you've been so busy, huh? I mean Allura and I barely get time for ourselves and we're just running a planet. Can't imagine what it's like for you."

 

Keith let out another groan which caused Shiro to erupt in laughter.

"Sleep with _one eye open_ , Shiro" Keith glared at him, "If I remember _correctly_ you endorsed this decision too."

 

"I didn't _endorse_ it, I just told Krolia and Kolivan that you're a great leader." Shiro argued with crossed arms.

 

"And that's _not_ endorsement?" Keith raised a questioning brow.

 

" _I was talking about leading Voltron!_ " Shiro squeaked out, "How was I supposed to know that they'd take that as an initiative!"

 

Adam's voice from the background interrupted them: "Takashi, we're landing in five, _we gotta get ready_!"

 

"Okay kids, I've got to go join my husband. It's been nice catching up with you all!" Shiro waved and ended the conversation as they told their farewells.

 

\---

 

As the evening progressed the paladins kept talking until eventually Hunk and Pidge decided to call it a night.

 

"Sorry, Lance, but I promised Shay I'd get back before midnight." Hunk said as he wrapped him up in a hug "Promise you'll keep in contact after this? I've missed you a lot, buddy."

 

"Ditto with Hunk here." Pidge nodded, "I have to work with Matt on this one huge project and I promised I wouldn't stay too late. Keep in contact with us."

 

Lance nodded: "I will. I missed you both too. Have a safe trip back."

 

"I think I'll go home too." Allura joined them with a passed out Coran propped against her shoulder, "I've got to get up early and Coran seems to have had quite a few drinks so I'll take him with me."

 

Allura gave Lance a quick kiss and the group moved out of the bar.

 

Lance sighed and dropped himself back in his seat.

 

"You not going home?" he addressed Keith who sat opposite him.

 

"You joking?" he scoffed in return, "This is like _the only_ free day I've got I'm going to milk it 'til the last second."

 

Lance let out a soft chuckle: "Let's get more drinks then and finish what's left of this huge cake."

 

Keith nodded and they went to the bartender.

 

"So what do you want to get?" Lance asked as they got to the counter.

 

"Let's do shots?" Keith suggested, "And let's also get those paladin drinks again. I want to know what the others taste like."

 

"You're going to get drunk off your ass." Lance stated with a smirk on his lips, "I'm on board though."

 

They made their order and after it was done, carried everything back to the table.

 

"So we've got _twelve_ shots and _six drinks_ each." Lance stated, raising a brow.

 

_A challenge._

 

Keith nodded with determination: "Let's do this, _Sharpshooter_."

 

"You're on!"

 

\---

 

Lance finished his shots quicker, earning a dirty look from Keith.

 

"That's not fair!" Keith pouted, "How were you quicker?"

 

"Might be because I'm used to them." Lance replied non-chalantly, "I drink like every friday just for the entertainment of it all."

 

"Mhh sounds plausible." Keith hummed, "Let's start the paladin specials?"

 

"Honestly, my head's kind of spinning right now so I might have a blackout by the end of this but let's do it." Lance said as he grabbed the black drink, "To the black paladins _everywhere_. May life be easier on you all."

 

"Thanks." Keith picked up his own and downed it, " I don't get why you wanted to be the black paladin. It's hard."

 

Lance huffed a laugh and downed his own.  _Tastes like blackberries._

 

"To be fair..." Lance started, "I like leading because it makes me feel _important_... _Like I matter_. I suppose that's _one_ of the reasons why... The other being, I just wanted to beat _you_ at something for once and also following in Shiro's footsteps. That guy's _still_ my hero."

 

"I guess that's understandable." Keith muttered, "I feel like black would've picked you if I wasn't there. You are good at leading."

 

"I wish I'd known that when I was younger." Lance whispered as he downed the yellow drink, "Would've spared me a lot of insecurity breakdowns. _Oh, yellow tastes like mangoes._ "

 

Keith downed his own and reached for the green one at the same time as Lance did.

 

They didn't chug the drinks this time instead opting for small sips and picking at the cake.

 

_Green tasted like kiwi._

 

" _So..._ " he finally spoke up after a brief moment of silence, "How did you feel today?"

" _Honestly_? I think something like this was _long_ overdue." Lance vented, "I missed interacting with the team. _A lot_. In a world where nothing was constant you guys were like _my second family._ Or atleast that's what it felt like before you left for the Blades when we got " _Shiro_ " back. Everything kind of fell apart after that."

 

"What do you mean?" Keith asked as he finished the green drink and moved on to the orange one.

 

"Well for starters " _Shiro_ " was cold towards me. Hunk and Pidge? They kind of got wrapped up in their science stuff and I was either made fun of or a third wheel in that friendship. I still think I am but I'm fine with that. They started treating me better after we got back to earth too so I've forgiven them. Friends are friends after all." Lance explained lazily swaying his own orange drink, which tasted like oranges, "And Allura was off in her own little world with _Lotor_."

 

"You really _were_ treated like shit while I was gone, huh?" Keith laughed bitterly.

 

"Things weren't any better after you _returned_ either Keith." Lance propped himself up and locked eyes with Keith who seemed confused. "You didn't treat me any better after you got back, you know? That's a big reason why I'm _still_ pissed at you."

 

Keith turned his gaze away and stayed silent.

 

"What?" Lance questioned, " _Cat got your tongue_?"

 

"I don't owe you an explanation." Keith muttered as he downed the rest of the orange drink.

 

"I want an answer, goddamnit!" Lance raised his voice and slammed down his, now empty, glass.

 

Keith finally met his angry gaze with an equally angry one: " _Calm down, Lance._ I get that you're mad, but this is a _public space_ we have to be quiet."

 

And goddamnit Keith was _right_. He wouldn't start a scene.

 

Lance slumped back in his seat and went for the blue drink while Keith picked up the red one.

 

It brought back memories.

 

"Lance, you're trembling." Keith's voice snapped him back to reality, "What's wrong?"

 

" _Honestly_? Everything and nothing at the same time." he admitted and took a swig.

 

 _Blueberries_.

 

"I miss piloting Blue." Lance said outloud because,  _fuck it,_ he's drunk and he doesn't care what Keith thinks, "Don't get me _wrong_ Red is _awesome_ and Black would be even _better_ but Blue and I... I thought that bond was _irreplacable_ and it hurt like a _bitch_ when I had to give her up to Allura."

 

"I miss Red too." Keith said as he sipped on the drink.

 

"At least you don't have to see Red all the time." Lance laughed with no real bite, "I have to see Blue _everyday_ and it _still stings_. Damn, Allura sure is lucky."

 

"Yeah, she is." Keith agreed, " _You're in love with her._ "

 

Lance huffed and burried his face in his hands: " _Love is overrated._ "

 

"Why would you say that?" the man muttered quietly.

 

Lance probably wasn't supposed to hear that but he did so he decided to answer anyways: "Because everytime I _fall for someone_ it ends up being for nothing."

 

"Lance, is everything alright?" Keith sounded genuinely concerned, "I thought you were _happy_ with Allura."

 

And that's what made Lance break.

 

"I **_should be,_** shouldn't I? The girl of my dreams started reciprocating my feelings and we got married. I'm a _king_ now. I _should_ be happy, right?" Lance spoke and Keith could feel the coldness in his voice, "But I'm **_not_**. Everything about this feels _wrong_. It's what I've wanted but it just feels wrong. I wasn't even her first choice! I'm a rebound and that's all I'll ever be to her. _It's a loveless marriage, Keith._ "

 

Keith was staring at him, waiting on more.

 

"I _rushed_ everything. Dove in head first because I didn't want to miss the chance and now I'm married to a woman that doesn't love me. At least not like _real_ love should be. We feel more like friends than anything else. And I know I should talk to her about it but I'm _scared._ " Lance admitted, "I'm scared that the _only_ person that ever loved me back will leave me on my own. I'll have _nobody_ if I leave her, Keith. I can't deal with being alone. And it sucks because _she deserves better than this_. She _deserves_ someone who _truly_ loves her and isn't just scared of being alone. _She's an amazing woman, Keith_."

Lance took a moment to absorb everything he just said and deflated. It was out in the open now. _Nothing he could do about it anymore._

 

And Keith... Keith was still silently watching him. As if he was waiting on something more.

 

Lance took the last drink, the red one, and chugged it.

 

 _Strawberries_.

 

"I had a crush on you." he proclaimed into the silence, " _Scratch that_ , I was _in love with you_. It started at the Garrison when I first met you actually. The moment I laid eyes on you that's when everything went to _shit_. I was in denial for a long while. For a very long while. The denial stopped when we had the bonding moment that's when I realized that I was _truly_ , **_utterly_** _fucked_ for you and then I started overcompensating. I started flirting with every person hoping that those feelings would go away. It was only when I started piloting red that I realized something. I can't keep kissing strangers and pretending that they're you. It's always been you. And I'm pretty sure that at one point you felt something for me too but maybe I'm wrong."

 

"Lance-" Keith finally spoke.

 

" _Shut up and let me finish._ " Lance interrupted him, "Before you left for the Blades. After Shiro disappeared and I became your right hand man. I could have _sworn_ you felt something for me at that point, but I realized it only when you left for the Blades and it was _too late_. I missed you _like hell_ while you were gone. _And when you finally returned?_ I thought that I'd finally confess and that we could be together or something. _But_ _you_..."

 

Lance finally made eye contact with Keith: "You came back and you started acting like _the worlds biggest dick_ towards me. _And the funny thing?_ I don't even know what I did to deserve that! Was it something I did or was it something you picked up from the Blades?"

 

Keith opened up his mouth to answer but Lance waved him off.

 

" _Scratch that. I don't want to know._ " he kept talking after taking another swig from the red drink, "So when I realized that you didn't actually have feelings for me and Allura suddenly reciprocated I _jumped_ at the opportunity. Except that left me with a Keith shaped void for the next ten years. So all I know is that whenever I fall for someone it goes wrong. In conclusion- _Love is overrated and I despise it._ "

 

Seconds ticked by.

 

"You want to know why I acted like that, right?" Keith asked and Lance's head snapped upwards.

 

"Oh, so you _finally_ came up with something, _huh_?" Lance laughed bitterly, " _Give me a break, Kogane._ It's probably bullshit."

 

"No, it's not." Keith shook his head and stared Lance down, "I can explain but I need you to take what I'm about to say _seriously_."

 

"Alright." he shrugged, " _Let's hear it then._ "

 

Keith chugged down the blue drink and inhaled deeply and that's when Lance realized that whatever he was about to say was going to be genuine.

 

Because obviously Keith _had_  to keep it a secret all this time, but now it was okay to tell Lance because _what_? _He admitted his crush on him_? _Because Keith wanted to let him down easy after being a dick_?

 

"It's because I thought you and Allura were together when I returned."

 

_Wait, what?_

 

"I spent _two and a half years away_. During those two years I realized that I should act on my feelings. I wanted to confess when I got back. But then... The mess with _Lotor_ happened. It was a tense situation so I snapped at you when I returned and I'm sorry about that. Then things got messy and my priority was making sure that _Shiro_ was safe. After the fight with his clone, when I started making my way back to the castle I saw you and Allura hugging. I thought that you two finally got together so I decided to step down." Keith kept talking, "I didn't want to come between you both so I tried distancing myself but since we were in close proximity I ended up snapping at you again."

"That's why after everything I gave in and agreed to Acxa's offer."he explained, "Because that would take me as far away as possible from you and I'd be able to move on. But _ten years_ passed and I _still_ feel like that, so I called up a reunion. To be close to you again. Hurt like a _bitch_ seeing you and Allura together like that, but at the end of the day what mattered was that you were happy and that I finally got to spend some time with you before I went back to my emperor duties."

 

Lance took a moment to absorb the information.

 

There was a storm of thoughts going off in his mind but there was one that was more persistent than others.

 

" _I don't believe you._ " 

 

" _What_..?" Keith asked after a beat.

 

"I don't _believe_ you." Lance repeated once more, louder, "You're lying."

"I'm not." Keith argued back.

"Prove it."

Keith didn't look amused in the slightest: " _Lance_."

 

" _Prove it._ " he insisted, "I'm not going to believe you until you prove it. And we're not going _anywhere_ until you do. We can sit here awake _alllll_ ~ night if _that's_ what it takes."

 

"Lance, you're currently in _no_ state to stay awake all night." Keith spoke matter-o-factly.

 

" _Watch me_." Lance spit back.

 

Keith let out a groan and dragged his hands across his face: "Okay. _Fine_."

 

"Wait, _really_?" Lance raised a brow, "You're not gonna try to argue?"

 

"Yes, _really_." Keith confirmed and gestured for Lance to come closer, "Now come here."

 

"Wait, _what are you going to do?_ " Lance asked, suddenly nervous.

 

" _Just shut up and trust me_." Keith leaned across the table and grabbed Lance by the collar of his blue shirt, bringing their heads closer and smashing their lips together.

 

The kiss was passionate and warm. It tasted like several combinations of alcohol and fruit but neither of them cared enough to stop. Keith's lips were soft and Lance felt himself melt as he tasted them.

 

Keith pulled away a few moments later to catch his breath leaving Lance absolutely dazed.

 

"Do you believe me _now_?"

 

" _Keith, holy shit-_ " Lance was struggling for words, "You're- _Oh my god, you weren't lying._ "

 

"Yes, Lance." he nodded, "I did it because I love you. It's really _not_ that complicated. I do feel the same way. I always have."

 

" _Oh my god, shut up_." it was Lance's turn to pull Keith over.

 

The second kiss lasted longer but it felt just like the first one, if not better.

 

\---

 

" _What are you thinking about?_ " 

 

"About the decisions that led me up to this point." Keith replied twirling the fork in his hands.

 

"Do you regret it?" Lance asked as he picked at the leftover cake.

 

"Regret what?" Keith looked up and met Lance's blank expression.

 

He really could make himself unreadable at times.

 

" _Not telling me sooner._ " he elaborated.

 

"I think that's the only thing in my _entire life_ that I regret," he nodded and added, " _Besides_ agreeing to be the fucking emperor of course. That was a bad idea from the _get-go_. I should've told you a long time ago."

 

"We're there times when you nearly slipped up and told me?" Lance wondered out of curiosity.

 

"Only once." Keith nodded, "During our battle on Earth with Sendak, when we went to meet our lions seperately and you and Veronica got attacked. I thought you were dead. _You could've died, Lance_ , and at that point my only thought was that I will never get another chance to tell you."

 

"Hey, it's alright." Lance lifted up his face, "I'm here, I'm alive and I'm not going anywhere now."

 

"I know that, but you still scared the _shit_ out of me. I was so terrified that I nearly yelled out a confession, but then you finally came in and I had never felt more relieved than in that moment." Keith cupped Lance's cheek, " _And when they imprisoned us on Sendak's ship?_ It was like it happened _again_ and I called out to you first because you're the one I was scared for the most."

 

" _Keith_?" Lance put his own hand on Keith's cheek, cupping it.

 

" _Yeah?_ " he met Lance's gaze once more.

 

"Would you run away with me?"

 

_And Keith? Keith would do anything for this man as long as it made him happy._

 

"Are you being serious?" he chuckled, but didn't break away.

 

" _Absolutely_." Lance nodded and Keith could see that Lance was set on it.

 

"Where would we even go?" he asked as he wore a soft smile.

 

"Back to Earth." Lance replied immediately as if he'd been thinking about it for months, "Don't get me wrong, space is _cool and all_ but I really miss being close to my friends and family. And we can always come back to visit your mom and the others. It'd only take a couple of hours with our lions."

 

"Sounds like a plan." Keith agreed and leaned into Lance's touch, "When do you want to do it?"

 

" _Right now._ "

 

\---

 

The original plan was to sneak back into the castle to get his stuff and then leave in the dead of the night.

It was foiled from the start when Lance, in _his drunken state_ , slammed the doors a bit too hard and accidentally tripped over himself, causing several vases with flowers to fall and shatter.

 

Allura came rushing in immediately to see what the fuss was about.

 

"Lance."

 

"Hey, 'Llura..." he slurred out.

 

"It's three in the morning." she stated, "I was wondering when you'd get home. Close the door."

 

"Did I wake you up?" he asked trying to feign innocence as he fumbled over himself to close the door.

 

"No, I was waiting for you to get back, _actually_."

 

The air around suddenly seemed to come to a still and Lance felt himself sober up.

 

" _Oh_."

 

"Lance, we've lived together for _ten decaphoebs_." she carried on, "I've gotten to know you better in this time and I know what you're planning on doing."

 

"Allura, I-" 

 

" _Let me finish._ " Allura put a hand up and spoke over him, "I'm not going to stop you."

 

" _You're not_?" Lance felt confusion wash over him.

 

"No, _I'm not._ " Allura shook her head, "I _knew_ that you still had feelings for Keith when you got together with me and I knew that you still had them this entire time."

 

" _At first_ I wanted you to get over him but, as the time passed, I realized several things. One being, you _won't_ , two being that _I'll never be on the same level as him in your eyes_ and _three_ -that I'm completely alright with it." she continued, "I never spoke to you about it because I wanted you to come to terms with it _on your own_. I knew the moment that I saw you two walk in the office today, arms over his shoulders, that it'd happen by the end of the night."

 

" _But why didn't you ask for a divorce if you knew?_ " Lance finally managed out a question, " _Why spend all this time married and **pretending**?_ "

 

" _Because, Lance_ ," Allura smiled fondly, "We might not love each other like lovers, but that doesn't mean that I don't _love you_ as a friend. Above everything you're exactly that- _my friend_. I care about you. I didn't mind the marriage staying as long as you needed it to. After all these years together I've gotten to know you and your insecurities and I didn't want you to feel like you we're alone, because you're not. I'll always have your back."

 

Lance walked over and kissed her forehead.

 

" _Thanks, Allura_." he whispered, " _For everything you've done_."

 

"No problem." she smiled and nudged him, "Now go pack your things and run away with the love of your life!"

 

" _You sure alteans won't miss their king_?" Lance chuckled.

 

" _Maybe a little_." she let out a quiet giggle, "Make sure to visit once in a while."

 

"Will do." he promised, " _Tell Coran bye for me?_ "

 

Allura smiled and nodded her head.

 

\---

 

"Keith, are you sure about this?" Acxa asked as they approached his mothers bedroom.

 

"Yes. I just need to tell my mom and- _WHAT THE HELL?_ "

 

They were nearing Krolia's bedroom when she and Kolivan walked out together.

 

"Keith, would it _kill you_ to not be so loud?" his mother rubbed her ears in pain.

 

" _What were you guys doing in your bedroom?_ " he squinted at them and he could have sworn that Kolivan flinched.

 

"Keith _Yorak_ Kogane!" she added Yorak only when she was mad, " _How many times do I have to tell you_ that I'm only in love with _your father_ before you stop assuming things? _We were just talking about strategies._ "

 

" _Oh._ " 

 

"Yeah ' _oh_ '." she squinted at him for good measure and then went back to her neutral expression, "Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

 

"I'm quitting." straight to the point, "I'm leaving you, Acxa and Kolivan in charge, but I'm done with this."

 

"Keith-"

 

" _I don't want to hear it_! You guys somehow talked me into it the first time, but I'm _not_ gonna give in _again_."

 

" _Keith_."

 

" _And I don't care if you decide to ground me or whatever, I'm not doing it! Nope! I'm done!_ "

 

" _Keith, are you done?_ " she asked after a beat and earned a nod, "I'm not trying to talk you into it. I know you've been miserable doing this. I just wanted to know why you _suddenly_ spoke up after _ten years_ and not _sooner_."

 

"Lance."

 

" _Oh_."

 

"Yeah ' _oh_ '." Keith mimicked her, " _Future vision number 531_. We're going to earth."

Krolia gave him a small smile and wrapped him in a hug.

 

" _I hope you find your happiness with him_." she whispered and squeezed him a bit tighter, " _I'll miss you, Keith_."

 

" _I already did._ " he whispered back, " _I'll miss you too, mom_."

 

They pulled apart.

 

"I promise I'll keep in touch and visit when I can." Keith smiled, "You'll both make better leaders than me and you've got Acxa's help."

 

" _Thank you_." Krolia smiled back and put her hand on his shoulders, "Now, go pack your things. _You don't want to keep Lance waiting._ "

 

" _On it, already!_ "

 

\---

 

"So,  _how did it go?_ " Lance asked as they met up somewhere in the middle.

 

"It was fine. They make better Galra leaders than I ever could." Keith replied, "What about you?"

 

"Allura waited up for me." Lance earned a snort in return, " _Turns out she's known for a while that things would end like this_. We parted on good terms, we're friends."

 

"So, everything's _alright_."

 

Lance hummed in response.

 

" _Hey, Keith?_ " Lance's voice turned into a whisper.

 

"Yeah? _What's wrong?_ " he asked, concern seeping into his voice.

 

" _Nothing_." Lance grinned, " _I love you._ "

 

" _I love you too, Lance_."

 

" _Say that again._ "

 

" _Lance, I swear to-_ " Keith pinched his brows but a smile crept on his lips, "I love you too, Lance."

 

Lance let out a loud ' _wooo_!' that made Keith's heart burst with affection: " _Now let's get back to Earth!_ "

 

\---

 

"Hi, Allura! How are you?" Lance asked as he sipped on a cup of tea and snuggled into Keith's side.

 

"I'm doing good, Lance." she replied from the video call in the tablet, "What about you?"

 

" _Doing amazing actually!_ " Lance's mouth split into a large grin, "I get to hang out with Hunk and Pidge and Keith gets to see Shiro and Adam again since they returned a few days ago. How's Altea? _Has it crumbled without it's king?_ "

 

Allura and Keith snorted.

 

"Lance, _no offense_ , but I literally did most of the work on Altea for the past eleven decaphoebs. It's doing good." Lance didn't take it to heart, it was true, " _A lot of them miss you though_. You settled in well?"

 

"Yeah! We got this private house in front of the beach in Cuba. Everyone, including the lions, loves it here. _Speaking of_ -" he trailed off, "How's blue been doing?

 

"She's good as always and she misses you too, Lance." a small blush crept upon her cheeks, " _Romelle and I have been giving her baths every week._ "

 

" _Romelle, huh_?" Lance smirked, "You finally starting to put yourself out there again?"

 

"As your ex-wife I'm not obligated to tell you anything, you scoundrel." she scoffed.

 

"Yeah, _but as my friend_ you are obligated to spill the deets and as you once said ' _Above all else you're my friend Lance_ ' so you can't escape this!" he gave her a cheeky wink.

 

"Oh my god, _alright_ , _fine_ , yes." Allura put her head in her palms, "We're not _together_ yet but I _will_ say that I saw her practicing asking me out on a date. Now can we _move on_?"

 

" _Aww that's so cute!_ " Lance squealed and earned a slight jab from Keith, "Tell me how it goes!"

 

"I'm not making _any_ promises!" Allura crossed her arms over her chest, "What about you though? _Did you pop the question yet?_ "

 

" _ALLURA_!"

 

Keith burst into laughter next to him and made Lance spill out some of his tea.

 

" _This call is officially over! Call me when you stop being so bold and go on a date with Romelle!_ "

 

Lance ended the call and threw the tablet away.

 

" _Keith, you made me spill my tea!_ " he scolded him as he turned his attention towards the mess on their blanket.

 

" _Sorry, sorry_ , let me take this and put it in a washing machine." Keith chuckled and left the room.

 

He returned a minute later with a new blanket and they curled together under it.

 

"So, _popping the question_? You sure you're not ready for it? It _has_ been a year now. You're not rushing into anything, you know?" Keith tried reassuring.

 

"I know, I know. _I just..._ " Lance fiddled with his fingers, "I haven't found a ring yet or planned out the,, _perfect proposal_ ,, you know."

 

"Who said it had to be _perfect_?" Keith quirked a brow, "It's the _actual marriage_ that matters."

"You saying you'd agree to marry me _right here and right now_ if I proposed _on this here couch while snuggled up_?" Lance quirked a brow in return.

 

"I would." Keith shrugged, " _Wouldn't you_?"

 

" _I would_." Lance responded.

 

" _Oh is that so?_ "

 

They both reached into the back of their jean pockets and pulled out tiny boxes.

 

" _Lance_ -"

" _Keith_ -"

 

" _OH MY GOD, ARE YOU KIDDING ME_?" Lance's voice boomed out, " _KEITH, NO_! DON'T YOU _DARE_!"

 

Keith whipped open the tiny box: " _Lance McClain, will you marry me?_ "

 

Lance put his face in his palms and groaned: " _I hate you._ "

 

Keith chuckled softly: "No, you don't. _Now answer my question._ "

 

"Fine then. I hate _Allura,_ because she brought it up." Lance said as he revealed his face, " _And oh my god, of course I'll marry you._ "

 

"To be fair, you're _worse_ because you lied. You said you didn't have a ring ready, _you weasel_." Keith crossed his arms and pointed towards Lance's tiny box, " _What's this then?_ "

 

" _You got me._ " he put up his arms in defeat, "I was _planning_ on proposing later tonight, after a romantic dinner, but then you we're being incredibly adorable and I just couldn't wait that long."

 

"You're never gonna stop surprising me, will you?" Keith chuckled and smooched Lance's cheek, " _I'm so in love with you._ "

 

" _I'm so in love with you too_." Lance leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Keith's lips and Keith pulled him back in.

 

The rings that had a blue and a red gem on them were momentarily forgotten as the two lovers focused on feeling each others touch.

 

They didn't know about it _at the time,_ but they'd end up having three adopted children and living happily married for the rest of their lives as the rings would change their colour to a deep purple.

**Author's Note:**

> I think this has been my longest fic so far oof anyways I'm glad i wrote this out. Made me feel better abt what happened.


End file.
